9/11/2006
Where were you? 9/11
American Soldier says,
The above video was not made by me. The internet is a wonderful thing. Click and read or watch then read.
Where were you?
I had gotten to work early that day. I do remember the clear blue sky being reveled to me as I drove my hour commute. I got in work, began my daily routine and I was listening to Howard Stern when the attacks happened. Howard said something about an airplane had crashed into one of the Towers. I walked out and told my co-workers and they looked at me strange. I grab the TV and turned it on and sure as shit, it was true. I was trying to fix the antenna when the second plane hit. I took a step back and I felt a tear trickle down my face. I had never witness such destruction or human loss at one time. The news stations were saying that there could be upward to 20,000 people dead. All this was going on, the experts, the people on the ground it was surreal.
Then….
The towers fell.
I told my boss I had to go.
I left work, sped up the highway along with many other cars. People sort of nodding as you passed by. There was this silent unity with everyone. I heard some radio station folks crying literally over the airwaves. I don’t know how many times my eyes got watery that day either.
Three days later I was in NYC. I was there to ‘try’ and recover some network equipment for my work. I had to take a train down there. I remember walking up the stairway when I got there and into the city.
The smell….
The best way I could describe it is a burnt plastic smell. I got to my hotel and dropped my bags and went straight to ground zero.
I took one look at the building in which my company’s network equipment was in and said forget it.
I had credentials to get in the area so I just joined the effort. I spent the next 2 weeks laying orange flags, picking up remains and saluting when we found people.
I went home and changed my life forever.
Since then I’ve fought the war on terror with a vengeance and still preserve the 9/12 appreciation of what we have.
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26 Responses to “Where were you? 9/11”
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*hugs* Thank you, A.S., for your service - then, and now. We appreciate you.
And God bless America…. the vicitms of 9/11 - and their families, and the survivors - remain in our hearts - always.
I was at work and saw a news bulletin on the net saying WTC had been hit by a plane. One of my coworkers and I were speculating on how a pilot could error that way. Then we were able to get a live feed from one of the networks and actually SAW the second plane hit. It was then that we had that sinking sensation that our lives were going to be forever changed as a result of that single image. As I write this I am instantly pulled back to that single moment in time. The hairs on my body feel as if they are standing on end and emotionally it makes me want to sit here and cry.
I cannot begin to imagine the autrocities you have witnessed so close up and how they affect you to this day. Thanks doesn’t even seem enough but it is all I can offer you. Just know that they are heartfelt and sincere.
Lisa I am going to school here at texas a and m university in kingsville and i have a research paper to do on any soldier who has been to iraq. i would like to interview you if you would be so kind.
I have Red Cross friends who were there, and even though they tell me it was the toughest job they’ve ever worked… I’m still jealous that I didn’t get to go. I didn’t get to help like I wanted to. I’m glad you got the opportunity. I know it must have been hard, but damn…. I also know you probably wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.
Thank you ~
Thank You, AS. For Everything.
I remember that day. I was sick and my brothers girlfriend called him as he was getting ready for school and told him to turn on the news. My whole family went out to watch it. When everyone else left my dad and I were the only ones left. I remember him saying that is was WW3 and I remember thinking what about the draft? would my brother have to go? My aunt works in Manhattan so my mom was worried sick about her for days until we were finally able to get a hold of her. It was horrible!
You know, it’s hard to tell if the good cap’n up there being sarcastic or if he actually believes himself.
I dont mean to be blunt, be if your not joking cap’n-Go to hell, our gov’t wouldn’t stab itself. If your joking-I’m still pissed, thats not funny.
I was in english class. By the time I got home it was all replays. I felt horror at first then anger as I the shock wore off. One of the first news reports I heard was “possibly twenty thousand plus dead”. It still hurts me to think of it. 9/11 was what started my patriotism and it still grows to day.
I remember where i was that day…and right the day before i wanted to join the Army or Marines. I really understand why you fight with a vengeance against these people.
Too bad i was born in the wrong country…
I was just walking into work, and noticed everyone was crowded in the lunch room watching the tv. we all got together with the boss… said a prayer for everyone in NY, and went home. that was a dark day.
and cap’t bob is a stupass tool, whos comment i just had to delete.
I was at home and turned on the television and couldn’t believe my eyes. I sat there alone and cried for all the people who had just gotten killed and for the families that they left behind.
What an awful, senseless and murderous act of cowardice those terrorists performed. All terrorists are gutless and spineless cowards to do something like that!
Thanks AS and to all of our troops for your service to this wonderful country of ours!
I served in the Tikrit area of Iraq during OIF III and believe in and support the men and women serving all over the world. We lost twelve fine Americans. I don’t think our efforts were wasted. I also don’t correlate politics with the loyalty and selfless dedication of service men and women. From what I saw on the ground, they just take care of each other to make it home alive.
God Bless the USA, pray for a bright future!
Sam
AS,
Thank you for coming here to NY - yeah, that smell. This year on 9/11, there was an electrical fire in Penn Station - again, that burned plastic smell, on a blue sky 9/11 - just missing that sickly sweet part of the smell we all remember too well. Lead to a few minutes of “bad head space”
Soon after, I joined some of the volunteer services here in NYC..
Thanks for helping, both in NYC, and afterwards
I know 7/7 made me angry inside, I just wanted to kill. Like Argieman said, shame I was born in the wrong country. US armed forces gets so much appreciation, and jsut reading all the comments these people make on here is nice. To know your appreciated. I recently joined the reserves over here and could well be on Op Herric next Sept. Payback time.
9/11, I took a mins silence at work. But that day that year, I can remember coming home from school, coming through the back door looking towards the tv and seeing a palin go clean into the second tower. I didnt even think, I jsut knew somthing bad had happned. From what I can remember I was pretty gutted.
Thank you. And I thank God for the work that you do.
The song/video made me bawl like a baby. But then what followed it (your story about that day)… well… it made me bawl like TWO babies! I think at some point I read your entire blog, but I don’t remember you mentioning that before. God bless.
i wanna say thanx for everything u did…
I remember where i was, and wat it did to me. I was sitting in my 6th grade classroom workin on math… it was hard for us to comprehend, our teacher turned on the tv, and later the principle said that they had to turn it off b/c kids were gettin really upset. And from that day on, i really knew wat i wanted to do in life, become a soldier.
I look back on that day, and see how muched it changed me. im waiting on that day that i can enlist in the Army. i look up to and highly respect all the ppl in our military. I just want to say thanx again for everything.
God bless our troops and our country.
I was on the E train on my way to work. I would have been changing trains under the WTC when the plane crashed if I had not had to stop to buy betteries for my hearing aids on the way to work. We were all stopped at 42nd Street and told we had to walk back home from there but they didn’t tell us why at the time. It was not until I saw the crash on the TV in a store window on my walk back to the 59th St Bridge that I knew what happened.
I have emphysema so I couldn’t help out but my next door neighbor who is a heavy equipment operator spent the first 2 weeks running a bull dozer and a steam shovel trying to rescue survivors if any and otherwise trying to clean it up so the rescuers could do their job.
My job at the time was on Wall Street about 5 blocks away and we were not allowed into the buildings for over 3 weeks. The front overhang of the building served as the main gathering area for the EMT and the police and fire department people for the whole area. They provided us with masks because of the bad air and also had tons of liquids and emergency supplies to help out anyone who needed it.
I cannot thank the rest of the country enough for what they did for the New Yorkers. I know that my little country town in Ohio sent the whole fire department here to help and there were so many offers that they were turning them away.
I also became a real patriot that day. When I saw the little notes posted on all the telephone poles and traffic signs asking if anyone had the news about this guy or I saw the memorials set up at all the fire stations here in Queens in memory of those who died that day, I knew that we had to do something. I am too old and too sick to help over there but I do all I can to help our troops. God Bless Them and keep them safe.
I was on Interstate 95 heading south and had just entered NY out of Conneticut when the first plane crashed into the WTC. I did not realy think much about it at that point. Then the report of the second plane came over the radio I phoned my wife immediately when she answered I asked her if she was watching TV and she said no why I told her to turn it on. What channel she asked? Not going to matter realy. I heard the TV come on and then nothing from her total silence. Then she said where are you?
By this time I was about to cross the George Washington Bridge.
When I told her she just said be careful and told me she loved me
Then she hung up. Naturaly traffic was at a crawl going over the bridge that day but I remember looking over to my left when I got to the top and seeing the smoke from the towers I can’t even discribe the feelings that rushed into my head. I’d seen those towers several times from a distance and once up close when I passed them while delivering a load of furniture not far down the street from where they stood so proudly. I wish I could have done something to help out on 9-11 but I don’t think that trying to take an 80 ft long vehicle into that area would have been a wise choice that day.
I wish that Americans still had the fire of patriotism they had in the hours and days that passed fter 9-11. Those were sad days but the show of love for this country was astounding to say the least.
There are a few of us embers still burning though
Wow. That entry took my back five years to where I was on 9/11/2001. I was in 5th grade and it was “lice-checking” day. This procedure was done in the library, where many computers were. I remember seeing multiple teachers on the computers watching planes crash into buildings. I was confused because I don’t know why they would be looking at that. Immediately, I knew something was not right. Many teachers left school early, and the day as a whole was bizarre. My mom picked me up from school early. She was crying. I asked her why and she said that something happened that would forever change the world. I was scared. I went home to hearing about a series of terrorist attacks. I was informed that my soccer coach was in the plane that crashed into the Pentagon. I was terrified and just went to sleep.
Thank you so much for your service to our country then and now. It is much appreciated. Your courage is clearly shown as you went through ground zero. What a hero.
I, too, vividly remember that day, even though I was only in 5th grade. Throughout the day, we had seen teachers crying, but could not understand why. I had only found out about the attacks after I was picked up from school early. My mother was also upset, and it amazed me to see such strong figures in my lives so upset. I appreciate the sacrifice you are making to protect young Americans like myself. My grandfather served in General Patton’s Third Army during World War II. He often tells me stories from his days abroad, and how he and other soldiers had hoped that would be the last war. Sadly, that was not the case, and I hope that your generation will end the fighting so mine won’t have to fight.
I, as well, am a student and can remember that day. I was in 5th grade and my mom picked me up early from school, i remember her crying and not being able to tell me why. I remember her frantically trying to reach my dad hours after hours. Finally he called back, and i have never seen my mom happier in her life. My mom put me to bed, and i had a sick feeling in my stomach but i couldn’t fully grasp the situation at hand. I remember three days later, after i had gone to bed, my mom came upstairs and woke me up. She told me that my best friend’s dad had died in the terroist attacks. I was up all night crying. I clearly remember the words she used, “Her dad is dead Maris, he worked in the Trade Center, they can’t find him.” I remember crying for days, and still crying thinking about it. I don’t think i will ever be able to fully understand why they chose New York to affect more than anywhere else and why they chose to kill so many innocent lives. I can’t get over the feeling of sickness that washes over me to think of how lives have been lost after 9/11 fighting those terroists. People may say that we are only students, but we are the next generation of soldiers and citizens that have to live with consequences of decisions made by adults today. Hopefully, it will not mean that we are going to have to continue to fight and protect our freedom.
Thank you for protecting us, and keeping us safe.
I was a US ARMY military intelligence sergeant then. I was at the Veterans hospital with a kidney stone infection. I was wondering why the nurses hadn’t bring my breakfast yet when it was passed 830. So I turned the TV on. The TV was silence ( I had the volume off). I saw the twin towers burning. I remember my first thought was “OMG, we are under attack! and that I wanted to get out of the hospital righ away and report to my unit. Then the Pentagon was hit… My whole world went to pieces, my feeling was “how dare they!” After the plane hit the Pentagon, my Grandma call me. She was hysteric, asking ME what was happening, and what can we (soldiers) do about it. I felt soo bad, just thinking how we didn’t see this coming. I still feel bad.
My older son and his new wife (9/8) were here with us, planning a quick honeymoon. We were watching the news and went into shock. It was surreal and could not be happening, not in America. They were both in regular Army then. Later that morning they got a call telling them to go nowhere, await orders, be prepared. Three months later my son was deployed to Afghanistan. There were about 100 Americans, if memory serves me, when he got there. I may be wrong, but it was very early in the conflict. All our lives were changed that fateful morning. He and his wife have both been back since. He will go again.
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